Once Upon a Dream
by Baby-Firecracker
Summary: Jimmy King and Charlie Davis have never crossed paths until now but neither can deny the spark that flares between them. How long will the bliss of 'What happens in New Vegas, stays in New Vegas' last when family ties and past indiscretions are finally revealed?
1. Worthy

Slight AU: The storylines of the first season still exist although Charlie and Bass have never actually met face to face.

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise.

Chapter One: Worthy

There were some days when Charlie regretted leaving behind the others in Willoughby but there was a certain satisfaction to being on her own. There wasn't anyone to hover anxiously around her constantly making sure that she wasn't going to fall apart or go off the rails, nor was there the dread of having to parent her own mother day in and out. She understood her mother's guilt, her despair over what she had done and the deaths she'd indirectly caused because of it but she wasn't the only one who had went through hell. It seemed she was the only one allowed to fall completely apart with no regard for those around her that needed her. Miles tried but his heart lay with Rachel and Charlie would never deny him that for her own selfish purposes no matter how much it felt like a knife to the chest when he'd turn away from her to cater to her mother. Aaron was building a new life, one free from violence and death so it seemed unfair to drag him down with her. Quite frankly as callous as it sounded she didn't know her Grandpa enough to stick around.

So she left.

She'd travelled for the first few weeks, taking in the sights around her with leisure, no longer afraid that Militia would appear behind her like they had before. Eventually she found herself in New Vegas and loved every minute of it and so for the first time since home she found herself settling. It was filled with filthy debauchery of course, the sheer number of whore's that frequented the place was alarming to say the least but there were no limitations set to her. She could do whatever she wanted; drink freely, flirt, fight. Hell it was a joy just to be able to sleep in in the morning.

The fighting ring was her favourite past time, she often found herself wandering into the tent in the evening, even placing a bet or two on some of the more promising fighters. There weren't many that struck her as particularly skilled until a few weeks ago when he arrived. Jimmy King. He fought like a man who had nothing to lose and quickly became the fighting Champion. Men from the neighbouring towns often travelled just to take him on, much to the delight of the owner who seemed to be infinitely wealthier than he was before Jimmy. It wasn't just men that flocked to him; various women simpered and fawned just to get a glimpse of him. She could understand why, he wasn't exactly hard on the eyes and from what she'd heard he was all sorts of charming.

They'd never actually crossed paths before, never seemed to be in the same place long enough to. Tonight seemed like it was going to be the exception. She'd been leaning on the bar top for the past fifteen minutes, amusing herself by flirting with one of the bartenders, debating how far she was willing to let it go when a muscled forearm brushed by her arm to slap a hand against the wood to capture her flirting partners attention. Immediately a glass of scotch was slide towards the now outstretched hand.

She turned her head to the side and locked on to bright blue eyes. Jimmy King stood before her, fresh from tonight's win and seemingly in high spirits as he gave her a little smirk.

He nodded towards the retreating bartender as he questioned, "Lowering your standards a bit, don't you think?"

She raised a brow in response, "What? You think there's someone here more worthy of my attention?

"Most definitely."

It wasn't hard to tell he meant himself and although she'd never admit it out loud she wholeheartedly agreed. He was older than her that much she could tell but hell if he didn't look in better shape than most of the twenty something's in the place. He was all hard muscle and if he fucked like he fought she had no doubt she'd leave very satisfied. But he was cocky, she'd seen the way he was with woman around here, a couple of pretty words and a well-placed smile and he was leading them back to his trailer. Between his looks and his reputations he didn't have to put much work in at all but she wasn't about to be pulled in so easily by a pretty face.

She smiled as she shuffled closer to him, "And you wouldn't happen to know this more worthy person would you?"

His free hand slid carefully over her hip as he griped her far more gently than she expected, "Why don't I show you?"

Her lips brushed his once, twice before she extracted herself from his grip, "Not tonight."

With a flip of her hair she turned heel and walked off in the direction of her trailer, unsure whether she was proud of herself or bitter than she hadn't took him up on his offer.

* * *

Bass had just finished off his last opponent of the night and figured he'd head into the bar in search of whiskey and some company for the night. The fight had been over far too soon for his liking and he had a lot of pent up energy left still to burn off and figured there was no better way to do it than by finding himself a pretty girl to take back. There wasn't a shortage of them in New Vegas and he never had trouble finding himself a bed mate; Miles had always said he was particularly skilled in talking a woman into doing anything he wanted. Just because he was a fugitive now, didn't mean that had changed.

He spotted her almost immediately by the bar; her long blonde hair was easy to spot even in the limited lighting of the bar. Long lean legs were tightly encased in leather, a strip of toned skin showing between her pants and her top. She wasn't all dolled up like most of the women here were but that was probably what attracted him to her. Without a second thought he found himself leaning on the bar beside her, tapping the bar top as he signalled for a drink. From her profile he could tell she was probably a good bit younger than he was but age wasn't exactly a factor nowadays, although he'd always found himself with woman younger than him pre-blackout anyways so it wasn't that far of a change for him.

He eyed the bartender she'd previously been flirting with and withheld a scoff. He was hitting way above his limit and the kid probably knew it with how quickly he ran off once Bass arrived.

"Lowering your standards a bit, don't you think?"

Her head tilted for a moment before she turned to face him, brow raised as she snarked, "What? You think there's someone here more worthy of my attention?"

He withheld a smile at her tone; she'd probably had her fair share of men claiming to be the more superior choice, "Most definitely."

She shuffled closer to him as she questioned who he considered to be a more worthy choice. They both knew exactly who he'd meant but that didn't mean he wasn't happy to play along with the game. He liked the fact that she didn't immediately fall for his charms, he wasn't opposed to a bit of a challenge, especially beautiful ones. He didn't stop himself from sliding a hand over her hip to pull her closer to him, her skin was soft beneath his fingertips and he couldn't help but imagine running his fingers over other more pleasurable parts of her.

More than ready to take this somewhere more private he murmured, "Why don't I show you?"

His grip tightened somewhat as her lips brushed his own but as he prepared himself to capture her lips in a deeper kiss he felt her pull away from him with a half-smile twisting her lips as she sauntered away, "Not tonight." Floating over her shoulder as her parting words.

He choked out a little surprised chuckle as he stared after her and the tantalising view she made from behind. Yeah he most definitely liked that particular challenge.


	2. Saviour

I'd no intention of posting this chapter so quickly but since the first one was pretty short I figured what the hell.

Chapter Two: Saviour.

Perhaps Charlie shouldn't have been as flirty with her dismal of Jimmy a week and a half ago as it seemed that it had only encouraged him. Apparently the rumours that no one had ever rejected him were true if his reaction was anything to go by, she'd unwittingly offered herself up like an exciting new challenge that he was all too happy to take on. It was like he was actively seeking her out now; it had gotten to the point where she'd taken to avoiding the fighting tent in fear of getting mauled by the various prostitutes and groupies that took issue with being shunned in favour of Jimmy bantering with her over a whiskey. And that's all that had happened, they _talked,_ sure there were often flirty glances and the occasional dirty innuendo exchanged but he hadn't actually made a move to touch her since the first night they'd met.

It was slowly driving her insane.

She was used to men being brazen in their approach, all grabby hands and filthy words until she either conceded or threw a punch their way but Jimmy seemed almost subtle in his approach. She wasn't stupid she knew he found her attractive, his eyes lingered on her cleavage and her ass enough that she knew he found her at least somewhat appealing. She couldn't lie and say she wasn't even a little disappointed that he wasn't taking the physical route with her. She had morals, she wasn't a nun.

She most certainly was not immune to him; his easy going attitude and cocky bravado were more than attractive than should be strictly allowed but there seemed to be darker parts to him that she found just as attractive. She'd often find him staring off moody into the distance lost in some form of distressing thought or absently stroking the gnarly scar on his forearm before he'd snap out of it with a carefree smile and flippant remark. He interested her and it been a long time since someone had.

It was probably a number of these factors that had her glowering across the room at the redhead that was currently plastered to his side. She was more than a little miffed at her being the one getting shunned in favour of someone else. She rolled her eyes at herself before turning in her seat, shooting a slow smile at Mike across the bar until he shook his head in amusement and poured her another shot. She'd no idea what she was drinking, all she knew was that it felt particularly wonderful as it crawled down her throat and made her stomach tingle pleasantly. Half of her knew this was probably a tactic to make her jealous, something that was altogether working far too well, while the other merely thought he'd lost interest. After all how many times could you shoot someone down before they eventually got bored and moved on? Either way it was making her cranky and being cranky apparently made her an alcoholic.

She supressed a sigh of annoyance as Damian approached her, standing closer than strictly necessary in her opinion.

"Hey, Charl."

She grimaced at the butchered attempt to create a nickname out of a nickname, "Its Charlie." She muttered before downing another of her shots.

He smiled at her oblivious to her scathing tone and patted her shoulder gently, "You wanna go outside, you look like you could use some air?"

She smiled brightly as she replied, "Sure." Before letting it fall at his blatant approval, "Oh, with you? Then, no."

He scowled before rearranging his features back to being pleasant as he took a seat next to her, "I guess I'll just stay close by. I don't want anything to happen to you."

She scoffed and pushed herself off her seat, blinking in daze for a moment as her eyes blurred, "On that note, I'm gone."

He protested and made a grab for her hand but she managed to quickly avoid his advance and stumbled her way outside. She sharply inhaled as the cool nights air hit her heated face and become aware just how much alcohol she'd managed to consume in a short space of time. With a groan she swiped a hand across her eyes before making her way towards the housing area. More than once she had to stop and lean against one of the trailers or take a seat on the water barrels in fear of passing out but as she walked she felt herself sobering up somewhat.

"Hey, Charl."

She turned incredulous as she spotted Damian quickly jogging behind her, "Are you stalking me now?"

He shrugged as he stopped inches from her, "I just wanted to make sure you got home okay."

"Well I'm fine, go away."

She moved to leave when his hand shot out to grab her wrist, "Don't be such an ungrateful bitch."

She saw red and swung an arm out, her fist catching him neatly across the cheek. His grip remained tight on her wrist despite him cussing in pain at her punch. He quickly reared back and delivered a back hand to her own face before pushing her back against the trailer beside them, her head cracking audibly against the metal. One hand griped her waist while the other coiled around her throat effectively choking her. Charlie kicked out her leg, catching him in the knee, when he bent over slightly she swung her knee into his stomach. She didn't need to do much else as a hand gripped the arm he had pressed against her throat and twisted it painfully behind his back before shoving him face first onto the trailers side, effectively knocking him out.

Charlie was vaguely aware of some of the bouncers from the fighting tent roughly pulling her would be attacker to his feet and dragging him off. She coughed and then grimaced in pain as her throat burned. She startled as calloused hands griped her face before pulling her face up gently. Her vision swam but she could clearly make out that Jimmy King had been her saviour.

She forced a smirk on her face as she croaked, "Just couldn't stay away huh, King?"

His previously tense face spilt into a genuine grin at her wise-cracking, "Someone's gotta keep an eye on your stupid."

She faltered as she was immediately reminded of Miles but shrugged it off. She pushed herself off the trailer and almost stumbled had it not been for the strong hands that griped her waist to steady her. It had to be a wholly inappropriate reaction to have given the circumstances but the feeling was not unpleasant and she'd really rather they were griping her in a whole different context.

His grip remained even after she'd found her balance; "Let's get you home, yeah?"

She snorted in amusement and pointed out the trailer two up from the one they were standing at, she'd found it more than a little ironic she'd been blindsided so close to safety.

"Think I'll make it solo."

His smile was tense as he replied, "You sure about that?"

She nodded seriously but secretly mourned the loss as his hands finally fell away from her. She took a cautious step forward and was happy that she remained upright without any assistance. She glanced at him through her lashes only to find his gaze locked on hers. They remained that way for a few moments before she pressed a hand to his shoulder as she leaned up onto her toes to press a kiss against the scuff along his jaw. His jaw clenched at her touch but he didn't make a move to stop her.

"Thanks."

His mouth opened as if to speak before closing again as he settled with a nod of acknowledgement in her direction. She turned and finally made her way to her trailer, smiling as she felt his eyes on her until she disappeared through her door.


	3. Interruptions

Thanks for the feedback!

Chapter Three: Interruptions

Bass hadn't actually factored in caring about Charlie in the grand scheme of things. Okay he wasn't a total bastard, he wouldn't just walk away from some innocent person being attacked for no goddamn reason but he'd been pissed. Charlie was _fun_; she drank more than he thought possible for someone of her size, she seemed raptured when it came to fighting almost as much as he was, she could verbally spar with him with ease and most of all she didn't pry. So sure, he liked her but he didn't think he actually gave much of a shit about her, not any more than he gave the other girls here but when he'd saw that kids slimy paws all over her and the wild frantic look of fear in her eyes as she tried fighting him off; he saw red. Luckily there were others with him or he would've killed the kid.

He was not prepared to get attached to this girl. Getting attached meant spilling his guts about all his little dirty secrets and he highly doubted a girl like Charlie would stick around once she realised he was Sebastian Monroe. Hell his best friend, his brother in all but blood had tucked tail and ran for the hills when he finally saw the real him so why shouldn't she?

So naturally he had reverted to a teenage boy and was avoiding her in any and all hope that he'd eventually move on and she'd forget all about him. Only she seemed to be turning his own tactics against him. Anywhere he went she was there as if the whole attack hadn't even happened, slipping into the usual routine of easy banter with him and suggestive glances. On the few occasions he'd actually managed to keep his mouth shut around her she'd just sat with him, in complete silence, she didn't even flinch. She was an odd one. He didn't even mean that as an insult.

She was wearing him down. After all the shit that had went down after the tower; being on the run from his own men she was a welcome distraction. He was finding it harder and harder to find reasons other than being Sebastian Monroe to keep away from her. So he figured why fight it. She was a big girl, if she didn't want him around she'd let him know.

He'd just finished his first and only fight of the night, opponents were sparse lately but he wasn't too worried, they all came through sooner or later. He scrubbed a cloth over his face before wincing as it scarped against the deep gash across his cheek. Finding the med kit he fumbled through it until he came across disinfectant and a clean cloth. It didn't look like it needed stitches but he wasn't prepared to leave it uncleansed with the amount of sweat and grime that had got into it during the fight. The bottle was plucked out of his hand by long fingers which then curled in gesture to the cloth in his other hand. He trailed his eyes up from them, along a smooth tan arm and then long blonde hair before he locked eyes with Charlie's. She raised a brow and wordlessly he handed over the cloth.

She soaked it before looking at him expectedly, "You ready?"

He barely refrained from rolling his eyes, "Charlie, some guy smashed his fist into my face so hard I bled, you don't think I can handle a little bit of disinfectant?"

She shrugged and dabbed it roughly over the cut. He hissed out in pain as his hand shot out to grip her hip.

"Jesus Christ!"

Her lips pursed as she tried not to laugh at him, "You said you could handle it. Don't be a baby."

His pride slightly bruised he glowered at her, "You could be nicer about it."

He startled a little when she pressed her free hand against his shoulder and shifted herself onto his lap. She shuffled back a little so she could clearly see the cut causing her to slip somewhat between his legs. He quickly slide his arms around her hips to hold her in place, barely refraining from letting his hands slip down to cup her ass. She dabbed at his cut again but softer than she had previously, once clean she blew gently on it until it was dry.

He didn't think she was even aware that her free hand had slipped around his neck and was absentmindedly stroking down between the top of his shoulder blades. Bass on the other hand was hyper aware of it.

"Was that nice enough for you?"

Bass couldn't help but feel like he'd been a bad influence on her; she was becoming borderline cocky if the little shit stirring smile on her face was any indication. He hiked her up further on his lap, smug when she let out a little gasp of surprise before she could stop herself.

"Aren't you supposed to kiss it better?"

He didn't think she'd actually take him up on it; it had become a bit of a habit to goad her, to tease her until she shoved him away or threatened him with bodily harm. So it came as a little bit of a shock when her lips pressed delicately to the cut. His nose brushed hers as she leaned back and all he could think about was kissing her, so he did. Clearly she'd been expecting it because she gave back as good as she got, even biting into his lower lip before releasing it with a sharp gasp. One of his hands ran up under her top along her spine while the other clenched around her hip. He vaguely realised he'd most likely be leaving finger shaped bruises on her skin but she didn't seem like she minded as her hands tangled in his hair. Her mouth detached from his as she panted but he was unrelenting and chose instead to run his lips across her jaw, blunt teeth nipping at it before skimming over the smooth column of her throat and across her collarbone. His nose had barely nudged open the neckline of her top when he heard someone calling for him. Half dazed he thought it was Charlie before realising it was a man's voice.

"Jimmy!"

With a groan he detached his lips from her skin to yell, "What?"

There was a nervous shuffle outside the door as they registered his anger before they replied, "Duncan wants to see you."

"Right now?"

"Yeah man, seemed pretty important."

He shook his head irritably before stating, "I'll be there in a minute."

He waited for the sound of retreating footsteps before he ventured a look at Charlie and nearly groaned when he did so. Her skin was flushed, some patches redder than the others from where his beard had rubbed against her. Her lips were puffy and parted as she gazed at him with darkened eyes.

"Jesus Christ."

She giggled a little at his unhappiness before soothing a hand around his neck and down his chest before she hopped off his lap.

"Find me later."

He knew for a fact she was deliberating swinging her hips more as she sauntered away from him. It was becoming a bit of a bad habit of hers.

He was definitely a bad influence.


	4. Later

Thanks so much for the feedback guys!

Chapter Four: Later

He didn't come find her later. In fact Charlie hadn't seen him for two days since they kissed. Part of her was annoyed by this whilst the other half was kind of relieved. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea getting involved with a man almost twice her age and who she didn't know all that much about; at least knowing something more substantial than his favourite brand of whiskey and that he had a knack for violence. Besides who even cared whether he was interested in her or not. It's not like she was starved for attention or that she couldn't easily find a guy just as attractive as him but probably a whole more appropriate for her.

_She just liked him._

This bothered her more than she cared to admit, she was most certainly getting attached to Jimmy King. Getting attached to someone before was almost always a bad thing, not only because everyone around her either left or died but also due to her many issues; she was constantly on the run, she was looking for Danny, she had mommy abandonment and dead daddy issues but now? Why couldn't she get attached, no one was saying she had to go and fall in love with the guy; get married and pop out three kids, live as close to a white picket fence life you could get nowadays. Besides she figured the universe owed her something remotely good giving the sheer amount of crap it had been throwing her way lately.

The problem was that she wasn't willing to make the first move. Charlie wasn't shy by any means, there wasn't time in this life to pussyfoot about what you wanted but that didn't mean she liked rejection any more than the next girl. She played it like she didn't give a damn but her heart had been pounding in her chest when she'd straddled his lap that day, more than a little fearful that he'd push her away. She mentally gave herself a shake, she was willing to bet Jimmy wasn't sitting in his trailer right now debating over whether she liked him or not and therein laid the problem.

Her musings were cut short as someone knocked on her door. With a put out sigh she heaved herself off her bed and yanked open the door fully prepared to tell whoever it was to shove off. She gaped as Jimmy stood outside her door, forearm braced casually above the door frame like he belonged there.

She hesitated for a moment unsure what he was doing there before she mustered a smile, "Hi."

His lips twitched in amusement as he repeated her, "Hi."

"What are you doing here?"

He shrugged one shoulder and shifted his weight so he was leaning into her doorway a little more, "You wanna get a drink?"

She blinked slowly at that, "Are you asking me out?"

"Sure." He muttered suddenly looking a little uneasy.

He was asking her out, _he_ was asking _her_ out and she was standing there like an idiot. The universe was finally doing something in her favour and she was fumbling about like an idiot. She had no idea what it was about this man that made her feel like a virginal sixteen year old but she was so over it.

Her hands jerked out to grip the lapels of his open shirt as she yanked him against her, her lips pressing insistently onto his as pressed her body along the length of him. It took him a moment to regain his bearings but when he did he quickly caught on. His hand slid into her hair to keep her firmly in place as he devoured her mouth, he griped her waist with his other, sliding it up and bunching the material of her tank as he did so, fingers splaying along her ribcage.

She took a step back into the trailer and he followed her easily, kicking the door shut firmly with his foot. She allowed herself to be backed up and lifted onto counter behind her, busying herself by tugging his shirt down his shoulders. He released her briefly to lift his undershirt over his head before kissing her again. She hummed happily into his mouth as she smoothed a hand down his chest, feeling the hard muscle there before venturing down further. Her fingers tugged at his belt buckle, faltering as his mouth left hers in order to kiss and suck along her jaw. She momentarily gave up on opening it as he pulled impatiently at her tank top, making a satisfied noise in the back of his throat when he found her bare underneath. Her head flew back with a pant when his mouth descended onto her breast, his breath hot against her skin causing her to break out in goosebumps.

He looked a little startled when she abruptly pushed him back as she hopped off the counter but watched with heated eyes as she shimmied out of her jeans and panties. Charlie didn't know someone was capable of moving so fast but before she knew it his pants were around his ankles and he had her spread out along her table.

Dazed she wondered how they hadn't made it to the bed but that thought flew out her head as his tongue pressed wonderfully between her legs. She lost herself to the sensation of it before the persistent need to have him inside her took over. She tugged at his hair until he lifted from her. She pressed a kiss to his mouth, tasting herself on his tongue as her legs wrapped around his waist and pressed herself against him. She'd of been more embarrassed at how loudly she moaned into his ear as he pushed inside of her if she felt particularly inclined to care. If anything her being so vocal only seemed to encourage him as he slammed repeatedly into her, his thumb pressing against her clit in perfect tedium, his mouth pressing against anything he could reach.

Her legs squeezed him as she approached her orgasm, her breath coming out in harsh pants, her words becoming gibberish as she completely fell apart. Jimmy wasn't far behind her as he came with a harsh moan, his forehead pressed against her chest. They took a moment to catch their breath before he braced himself over her on his forearms. He smoothed a hand over her forehead, pushing back the sweaty hair that clung to her skin.

"Are-"

The words were lost as the table groaned under the strain of their combined weight before the legs gave out completely and sent them crashing to the floor. Charlie gave a sharp groan as Jimmy landed on top of her before bursting into a fit of laughter.

Jimmy looked at her incredulously before following suit, rolling himself off her and to the side. Charlie shifted, her face still holding a happy grin as she tilted her head to sweep her eyes along his body.

"We're doing that again."

He smirked at her bossy tone, "We are?"

She nodded firmly, "Yup."

"Anyone ever tell you you're kind of bossy?"

"You don't like it?" She asked as she held back a smile.

He watched her a moment as if deciding, his eyes piercing as his replied, "I like it."

She had the feeling he liked a little more than her bossiness but she was content with his answer. For now.


	5. Abduction

Sorry guys I've literally had 4 birthday celebrations since I last updated, including my own!

This one is mostly filler because it's the beginning of season 2 starting so without further ado here is the next chapter. I promise the next one will not have such a long wait.

* * *

Chapter Five: Abduction

Charlie let out a little contented sigh at waking to the feeling of Jimmy's stubble gliding along her shoulder as he pressed a kiss there. She prepared herself to roll over fully intending on slipping in a little mid-afternoon sex but before she could make a move his weight disappeared from the bed. Now fully awake she turned, keeping the sheet tucked firmly around her nude body and promptly pouted as she caught him pulling on a shirt. She quickly pushed herself up onto her knees and caught the open ends of his shirt with her fingertips; she gave them a sharp tug which caught his attention. He immediately abandoned the task of doing up his buttons to favour her with a slow smirk which always managed to give her that girlish squirmy feeling deep in her stomach.

She subtly tried to pull him closer to the bed, only stopping once his knees knocked against the bed frame, "Where are you going?"

With one hand braced on the bed he leaned into her, his free hand delving into her hair, pulling on the long blonde strands gently to tip her head up, "Work. You know that thing I have to do if I want to continue living in this life of luxury."

She withheld a snort at that as she peered up at him through her lashes, "Or you could stay here, in bed...with _me_."

Through teasing she gave up all subtle tactics and merely yanked him to her, her lips hungrily reaching for his. He came all to willingly, his body weight setting comfortably on hers for a few moments as he gave into temptation before pulling away with a reluctant groan.

"I really have to go if I wanna keep any of my fights tonight."

That said he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before stepping back and swiftly doing up his buttons. Shuffling noises behind him alerted him to Charlie's movements, he paid it no mind figuring she was just getting ready, as he went about collecting the few diamonds scattered across the table amongst the rest of his belongings.

"Hey, King."

He turned, words caught in his throat as Charlie kneeled on the bed; unruly hair thrown over her shoulders, the ends curling delicately around her breasts, her lips red and mussed from his beard and giving him quite possibly the best come hither look he'd ever witnessed in his life. Utterly naked.

"Good luck on your fight."

With a look of complete disbelief he tossed aside the meagre possessions he'd just collected and whipped his shirt over his head forgoing the hassle of undoing it as he stalked back towards the bed pushing Charlie back against the pillows, resisting a grin at her delighted giggle.

"You are gonna be the death of me."

* * *

In the end she'd only cost him one fight not that Gould had been particularly thrilled about it but he'd let it go on the promise that Jimmy would make the next one spectacular. And spectacular it was. She wasn't sure if she was just referring to the fight or Jimmy as well but it sure was pretty to look at. She'd never met a man who looked so good covered in sweat and another man's blood but somehow he managed it. A little too well. She'd been waiting on him coming out for the past ten minutes, amusing herself by people watching and as always being just that little bit horrified at what went on in public here.

She barely refrained from rolling her eyes as Hector strolled over to her, a sleazy grin on his face. They'd never actually met face to face but she'd seen him more than enough when she'd visited the fighting tent. She'd watched him relentlessly hit on woman completely out of his league with little to no results. He was completely repulsive and to be frank she wanted nothing to do with him.

"Saw you in the fight tent, you like fights sweetheart?"

She heaved a sigh and nodded towards Jimmy as she spotted him standing near the roulette tables, "I like him."

He squinted to make out who she meant, "Jimmy? He's ok, a little moody if you ask me." He paused and let out a startled half laugh as realisation hit him, "Shit, you Jimmy's girl? Charlie, right?"

She grew frustrated when she lost sight of him again, giving up she turned to Hector, "Yeah, I'm his girl. If you see him, tell him to come by my place."

Without waiting for a reply she wandered out of the tent, actively ignoring the feeling on his eyes on her and in the direction of her trailer, a little put off that Jimmy hadn't bothered to wait around for her. In hindsight she hadn't told him she'd be sticking around for the fight tonight but it wasn't often she wasn't there to support him. She wasn't going to give him crap about it but it wasn't like she'd been waiting around all night for the losers that frequented New Vegas to hit on her. It wasn't long before she reached her trailer but voices to her left stopped her from opening her door completely.

"I saw Monroe; he was headed out the fight tent. Seen him head over this way."

Charlie stopped dead in her tracks as soon as the name left the strangers lips. It had been a long time since she'd given Monroe a thought, so caught up in Jimmy she'd forgot about the shit storm that was her life. She couldn't believe that he'd been here this whole time, right under her nose.

Without so much as thinking about it she darted into her trailer to grab her crossbow and silently tracked the two men. Her eyes grew wide and she stuttered to a stop when she realized they were set up perfectly outside Jimmy's. A sick feeling settled in her stomach, there was no way that Jimmy was actually Monroe, she'd of known, she'd of recognized the Militia leader somehow. They had to have made some mistake; they didn't exactly look the brightest. She lined up her bow fully intending on taking at least one of them out when Jimmy stepped out of his trailer. Her throat grew tight and she struggled to shout a warning to him but by the time she worked up her nerve it was too late. She was too slow, her hesitation caused Jimmy to get knocked upside the head rendering him unconscious. She released an arrow but it feel short and the two men made quick work of dragging Jimmy off and out of her sight, bundling him in to a horse drawn cart. Cursing she realized she'd have to track them until she got another opportunity to free Jimmy.


End file.
